TRADE union federation COSATU says its meetings with NEDLAC in the past 18 months have seen over R53 billion paid from the UIF to ensure more than 5.5 million workers had money to buy food for their families.
During her address of the federation’s central committee meeting, COSATU president Zingiswa Losi said this has been the largest source of stimuli into the economy and has seen a package of relief measures to help protect workers, the unemployed, businesses and the economy.
This includes the R350 grant helping millions, tax relief for companies to keep them open, and loan deferrals to assist consumers, she said.
“We must commend the excellent work done by SACTWU to ensure the delivery of the UIF TERS and vaccines to thousands of clothing and textile workers,” said Losi.
“We must salute the heroic sacrifices of our health workers and members of NEHAWU, DENOSA, SAMATU and SAEPU. They have carried the nation on their shoulders. They have born the brunt of Covid-19 infections and many paying the ultimate sacrifice. When history is written, it will mark our nurses, doctors, paramedics and other health workers as the heroes of Covid-19.”
She said COVID-19 pandemic has devastated South Africa like none other and it will remain with everyone for some time.
:We must learn to live with this new normal. We are fortunate to have the weapons to defeat it in our hands. These are for all of us to wear our masks, social distance and sanitise. Equally it is for all of us to go and vaccinate. The vaccine will not change your DNA. It is not a conspiracy,” said Losi.
“It is safe and will protect you, your family and your job. Government has done well to secure sufficient vaccines and to pay for them. We are working with government to ensure that mobile vaccine units are deployed to every township, informal area, village, farm, taxi rank and bus station and shopping centre.”
“There has been a positive turn around in vaccination numbers. We have now passed 16 million vaccines doses dispensed. We are averaging 1 million a week. But we need to double our rate. We need to engage every member, worker and their family on why this is critical not only to save their lives and jobs, but also their families. This is the only way for the economy to emerge safely. We owe it to our health workers.”
Losi said the federation’s central committee must emerge with a clear call to go and mobilise every worker and their family and ensure that all have received their vaccines by Christmas.
“We cannot afford to fail,” she said.
“COSATU supports the call for every single person to vaccinate. This must be done through education, engagement and persuasion. We are a constitutional democracy that respects the rights of all. Mandatory vaccinations will not work and may in fact only serve to distract us from the work of convincing every person on the need to vaccinate. We cannot afford scandals of people selling vaccine certificates.”
- Inside Politics
